Dallas Maverickshttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/dallas-mavericks
en-usSun, 02 Aug 2015 17:08:43 -0400Sun, 02 Aug 2015 17:08:43 -0400The latest news on Dallas Mavericks from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-donald-trump-best-thing-2015-7Mark Cuban praised Donald Trump for being 'the best thing to happen to politics' in recent historyhttp://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-donald-trump-best-thing-2015-7
Sat, 01 Aug 2015 14:44:00 -0400Colin Campbell
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/55b7ad9d371d22a10e8ba4b7-1200-900/mark%20cuban%20portrait.png" alt="Mark Cuban Portrait Illustration Shark Tank" data-mce-source="Mike Nudelman/Business Insider"></p><p>Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had nothing but praise for fellow billionaire Donald Trump in a recent post on social media.</p>
<p>Cuban, writing on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-cyber-dust-messaging-app-snapchat-2014-12">his Cyber Dust app</a>, said the Republican presidential candidate was "probably the best thing to happen to politics in a long long time."</p>
<p>Trump, a real-estate magnate and television personality, has been at the center of a media firestorm since kicking off his campaign last month.</p>
<p>Trump generated <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/donald-trump">reams of headlines</a> while accusing the Mexican government of sending its country's criminals to the US. Trump <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mccain-donald-trump-war-hero-2015-7">also briefly questioned</a> the war record of Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona).</p>
<p>But Cuban said the only thing that mattered was Trump breaking political orthodoxy by saying what was truly on his mind.</p>
<p>"I don't care what his actual positions are," Cuban wrote. "I don't care if he says the wrong thing. He says what's on his mind. He gives honest answers rather than prepared answers. This is more important than anything any candidate has done in years."</p>
<p>Indeed, the outspoken investor said Trump "changed the game."</p>
<p>"Up until Trump announced his candidacy the conventional wisdom was that you had to be a professional politician in order to run," Cuban continued. "You had to have a background that was politically scrubbed. In other words, smart people who didn't live perfect lives could never run. Smart people who didn't want their families put under the media spotlight wouldn't run. The Donald is changing all of that. He has changed the game and for that he deserves a lot of credit.</p>
<p>"Now maybe we will accept candidates warts and all and look at what they can do rather than what headlines they create," Cuban concluded. "Congrats Donald."</p>
<p>For his part, Trump thanked Cuban for the praise in a Twitter post on Tuesday. Trump also said he was becoming a fan of Cuban's basketball team:</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
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Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/mcuban">@mcuban</a> for your nice words. I am rapidly becoming a <a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs">@dallasmavs</a> fan!
<a href="https://t.co/sLXkCh9qfg">https://t.co/sLXkCh9qfg</a> </p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/626060739850203136">July 28, 2015</a>
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</div></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-republicans-social-issues-2014-10" >MARK CUBAN: Here's what Republicans should do next</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-donald-trump-best-thing-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/song-made-using-coins-drummer-music-video-2015-7">This drummer created a whole song by only using the sound of coins</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/winners-losers-nba-basketball-cavaliers-offseason-2015-7The biggest winners and losers in the NBA offseasonhttp://www.businessinsider.com/winners-losers-nba-basketball-cavaliers-offseason-2015-7
Sat, 01 Aug 2015 08:03:00 -0400Lamar Salter and Scott Davis
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<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The NBA had one of the wildest offseasons yet. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Check out which NBA team made the best and worse moves ahead of the upcoming season. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><em>Produced by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/author/lamar-salter" target="_blank">Lamar Salter</a>. Original reporting by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/winners-and-losers-of-wild-nba-free-agency-offseason-2015-7" target="_blank">Scott Davis.</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/author/tony-manfred"></a><br></em></span></p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><em> </em></span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/winners-losers-nba-basketball-cavaliers-offseason-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-explains-why-tanking-doesnt-always-work-in-the-nba-2015-7Mark Cuban explains the risk of tanking in the NBAhttp://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-explains-why-tanking-doesnt-always-work-in-the-nba-2015-7
Thu, 30 Jul 2015 11:31:04 -0400Scott Davis
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/55ba3e75371d2215008bb2d0-3576-2682/gettyimages-469536150.jpg" alt="MArk Cuban" data-mce-source="Getty" /></p><p>After missing out on DeAndre Jordan and losing most of their starting lineup from last season, the Dallas Mavericks don't figure to be very good this season, especially in the loaded&nbsp;Western Conference.</p>
<p>Mark Cuban said at the start of free agency that if the Dallas Mavericks didn't land a big-name free agent &mdash; <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-decision-disaster-mavericks-2015-7">which they basically didn't</a> &mdash; <a href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/617113448179191808">they would tank this season</a>.</p>
<p>However, <a href="http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-lowe-post-podcast-mark-cuban-on-deandre-jordan-tanking-and-shark-tank/">as Cuban told Zach Lowe on "The Lowe Post,"</a> the Mavericks won't tank in the typical sense of the word.</p>
<p>"'Tank' is all relative, right?" Cuban said. "Because in the Western Conference, you can really play hard and do your best and still be in the lottery. And so, the whole concept was, if we didn't get Wes [Matthews] and we didn't get a key free agent, and [Deron Williams] in this particular case, among others, what would have been the best strategy for us?"</p>
<p>Cuban explains how the Mavericks looked at the Western Conference this season and figured if they didn't get a top free agent, they could still be a competitive team while getting&nbsp;a good&nbsp;pick in the lottery, due to the competitive nature of the conference.</p>
<p>Cuban said, "Metaphorically speaking, yeah, we would have tanked, but in reality, it would've been a completely different approach than what the teams that have been vying for top picks have been doing. It wouldn't have been a race to the bottom."</p>
<p>As Cuban noted, tanking, or foregoing wins to get a shot at the top pick in the draft, is not a sure-fire method for rebuilding. He makes a great point, stating that the point of tanking is to draft a superstar, but there's no guarantee that top draft picks will ever turn into a star that can lead a team to a championship.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"There's only one&nbsp;goal in rebuilding, and that's to get a superstar. And unfortunately, there's no direct path to getting a superstar. Some people say, 'Well you do it through the draft.' Well, every team has been drafting for a lot of years... Every team has drafted. Most teams have had decent draft picks over that period, and only, what, seven teams have won championships in 20 years?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"And so, it all comes down to how you get a superstar. Taking the draft path is no direct path to getting a superstar. Taking the trade route is no direct path to getting a superstar... So, there's trades and there's free agency. So there's three paths to get a superstar to start to build around. None of them are direct, all of them have risks."</p>
<p>Drafting in the NBA mostly comes down to luck. The San Antonio Spurs got Tim Duncan with the No. 1 pick and then nailed two late draft picks in later years in Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. The Oklahoma City Thunder got Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, and James Harden in three consecutive years and shot right up into playoff contention.</p>
<p>Teams like the Philadelphia 76ers are trying to hedge that bet by accumulating as many high picks as possible and hoping that at least some of them turn into those franchise-changing players.</p>
<p>For Cuban and the Mavs, they nailed one pick in Dirk Nowitzki and have been finding other routes to build around him, as Cuban discusses with Lowe. However, the Mavs haven't advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2011, using each offseason to tinker with the team through trades and free agency. With Nowitzki quickly aging, it seems the Mavs will soon have to reconsider their methods and rebuild more organically.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-explains-why-tanking-doesnt-always-work-in-the-nba-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/interesting-things-about-tom-brady-patriots-nfl-football-2015-7">Curious things most people don’t know about Tom Brady</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-donald-trump-best-thing-2015-7Mark Cuban just praised Donald Trump for being 'the best thing to happen to politics' in recent historyhttp://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-donald-trump-best-thing-2015-7
Tue, 28 Jul 2015 12:48:39 -0400Colin Campbell
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/55b7ad9d371d22a10e8ba4b7-1200-900/mark%20cuban%20portrait.png" alt="Mark Cuban Portrait Illustration Shark Tank" data-mce-source="Mike Nudelman/Business Insider"></p><p>Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had nothing but praise for fellow billionaire Donald Trump in a recent post on social media.</p>
<p>Cuban, writing on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-cyber-dust-messaging-app-snapchat-2014-12">his Cyber Dust app</a>, said the Republican presidential candidate was "probably the best thing to happen to politics in a long long time."</p>
<p>Trump, a real-estate magnate and television personality, has been at the center of a media firestorm since kicking off his campaign last month.</p>
<p>Trump generated <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/donald-trump">reams of headlines</a> while accusing the Mexican government of sending its country's criminals to the US. Trump <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mccain-donald-trump-war-hero-2015-7">also briefly questioned</a> the war record of Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona).</p>
<p>But Cuban said the only thing that mattered was Trump breaking political orthodoxy by saying what was truly on his mind.</p>
<p>"I don't care what his actual positions are," Cuban wrote. "I don't care if he says the wrong thing. He says what's on his mind. He gives honest answers rather than prepared answers. This is more important than anything any candidate has done in years."</p>
<p>Indeed, the outspoken investor said Trump "changed the game."</p>
<p>"Up until Trump announced his candidacy the conventional wisdom was that you had to be a professional politician in order to run," Cuban continued. "You had to have a background that was politically scrubbed. In other words, smart people who didn't live perfect lives could never run. Smart people who didn't want their families put under the media spotlight wouldn't run. The Donald is changing all of that. He has changed the game and for that he deserves a lot of credit.</p>
<p>"Now maybe we will accept candidates warts and all and look at what they can do rather than what headlines they create," Cuban concluded. "Congrats Donald."</p>
<p>For his part, Trump thanked Cuban for the praise in a Twitter post on Tuesday. Trump also said he was becoming a fan of Cuban's basketball team:</p>
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Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/mcuban">@mcuban</a> for your nice words. I am rapidly becoming a <a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs">@dallasmavs</a> fan!
<a href="https://t.co/sLXkCh9qfg">https://t.co/sLXkCh9qfg</a> </p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/626060739850203136">July 28, 2015</a>
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</div></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-republicans-social-issues-2014-10" >MARK CUBAN: Here's what Republicans should do next</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-donald-trump-best-thing-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/song-made-using-coins-drummer-music-video-2015-7">This drummer created a whole song by only using the sound of coins</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-struggled-with-intense-pressure-of-free-agency-2015-7DeAndre Jordan explains what went through his mind when he spurned the Mavericks in free agencyhttp://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-struggled-with-intense-pressure-of-free-agency-2015-7
Tue, 21 Jul 2015 11:52:57 -0400Ari Gilberg
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/55ae5c16371d2210008b821f-1200-900/rsz_gettyimages-473095922 (1).jpg" alt="DeAndre Jordan Clippers" data-mce-source="Scott Halleran/Getty Images" /></p><p>Outside of a few posts on Twitter, DeAndre Jordan has remained relatively quiet since backing out of his verbal agreement with the Dallas Mavericks to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-clippers-mavericks-2015-7">re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers</a>&nbsp;two weeks ago.</p>
<p>Early Tuesday morning, Jordan finally broke that media silence by writing a blog post on "The Players' Tribune," where he&nbsp;admitted he struggled&nbsp;with the <a href="http://www.theplayerstribune.com/deandre-jordan-clippers-mavs-free-agency/">"intense pressure"</a> of free agency.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">"</span><span class="s1">As everyone knows, I struggled with it. It was nine or ten days of intense pressure.&nbsp;</span><span class="s1">Every night I would have a different scenario in my head, of the city and team where I thought I would fit best," Jordan wrote. "I had several meetings with teams and even more conversations with my family and friends. I kept thinking about what it really meant to be 'home' and I would go back and forth."</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJYQ7z7IO2Q">a video accompanying the blog post</a>, Jordan says he initially considered backing out of his verbal agreement, and return to the Clippers Monday morning &ndash; just three days after he committed to sign a four-year $80 million contract with the Mavericks:</span></p>
<p class="p1" style="padding-left: 30px;"><span class="s1">"I woke up Monday morning feeling like there was&nbsp;something missing, something that I didn't do, something that wasn't covered. And that's when I started to begin to have second thoughts.&nbsp;</span><span class="s1">I feel like we've all made decision in our lives where we've had second thoughts about things and have gone back and had to revisit a situation. And I definitely feel like this is one of those times for me."</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span>In a separate post on "The Players' Tribune," Clippers power forward Blake Griffin claims&nbsp;the entire "fiasco" was actually&nbsp;<a href="http://www.theplayerstribune.com/blake-griffin-deandre-jordan-story/">"super boring."</a>&nbsp;Griffin said he was already in Houston having dinner with Jordan Tuesday night &ndash; <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/clippers-mavericks-go-to-emoji-war-over-deandre-jordan-2015-7">before the emoji-filled scene took place Wednesday</a> &ndash; and he was initially there to just talk and console his friend.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span></span><span class="s1">The next day, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, and several players, flew to&nbsp;Houston to&nbsp;meet with Jordan at&nbsp;his home.&nbsp;Griffin says the news reports floating around that the Clippers were <a href="http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2015-07-08/deandre-jordan-los-angeles-clippers-dallas-mavericks-mark-cuban-doc-rivers-chris-paul">"holding Jordan hostage"</a> were overblown, and, in actuality, the majority of the evening wasn't spent barricading the doors and windows, but rather watching TV&nbsp;and playing video games.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">"</span><span class="s1">To be honest, the whole thing was pretty boring. It was like a super laid back family party," Griffin wrote. "Some people were watching TV. Some people were playing video games. After a while, I hopped in the car and drove aimlessly around Houston for an hour just to kill time. When I got back to the house, we were sitting around waiting for 11 p.m. so DeAndre could officially sign."</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span>By changing his mind, and backing out of his deal with the Mavericks to re-sign with the Clippers,&nbsp;Jordan had&nbsp;spurned Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and forward Chandler Parsons in the process.&nbsp;</span>In the immediate aftermath, Cuban <a href="http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/deandre-jordan-mark-cuban-dallas-mavericks-los-angeles-clippers-070915?vid=481125955802">refused to refer to Jordan by name</a>, and Parsons described him as "scared" and called the whole ordeal <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chandler-parsons-torches-deandre-jordan-for-leaving-dallas-2015-7">"unethical and disrespectful."</a>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span>While he praised Cuban, and coach Rick Carlisle, Jordan admits he didn't truly give it "all of his thought" when he agreed to join the Mavericks, and says he regrets letting&nbsp;down an entire franchise upon reevaluating his decision.</span></p>
<p>"The most emotional part of the entire process was when I decided I was going to stay because I knew I had to upset, and let down, a whole different fan base, and that definitely got to me," Jordan said. "At the end of the day we're basketball players and these great athletes, but we're also human. And we make mistakes, we have emotions and feelings just like everybody else."</p>
<p>Jordan will answer questions from the media&nbsp;Tuesday afternoon when the Clippers hold a press conference for Jordan and their&nbsp;other notable free agent acquisitions, Paul Pierce and Josh Smith.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-struggled-with-intense-pressure-of-free-agency-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/1996-chicago-bulls-michael-jordan-where-are-they-now-2015-6">WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The historic 1996 Chicago Bulls championship team</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-deandre-jordan-fiasco-changed-the-nba-2015-7How the DeAndre Jordan fiasco — the most absurd 12 hours in free agency history — genuinely changed the NBAhttp://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-deandre-jordan-fiasco-changed-the-nba-2015-7
Sat, 11 Jul 2015 08:27:00 -0400Tony Manfred
<p><img class="full" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/55a02fd96bb3f7993af74260-1200-800/deandre-jordan-clips.jpg" border="0" alt="deandre jordan clips"></p><p>About 12 hours before 12:01 a.m. ET on July 9, when NBA teams can officially sign free agents, word trickled out that free agent DeAndre Jordan was reconsidering his commitment to the Dallas Mavericks.</p>
<p>Five days before that, Jordan had verbally agreed to a four-year, $80 million deal with the Mavs. At the time it was devastating for the Los Angeles Clippers, who suddenly lost their starting center with no way to replace him. It looked like a coup for Dallas, which spent the ensuing days making roster decisions under the assumption that they had Jordan locked up.</p>
<p>But at noon on the day before the NBA's moratorium on signing free agents ended, we got this:</p>
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Story going online now: ESPN sources say Clippers lobbying DeAndre Jordan to reverse his decision to join Dallas and stay in LA with Clips </p>— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618818662523387904">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p>What followed was the most absurd 12-hour period in the history of NBA free agency. It involved <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/clippers-mavericks-go-to-emoji-war-over-deandre-jordan-2015-7">emoji wars</a>, Chris Paul cutting short <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/7/7/8909811/lebron-james-dwyane-wade-and-chris-paul-took-a-ride-on-a-banana-boat">his vacation with LeBron James</a>, the Clippers <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-clippers-mavericks-2015-7">barricading themselves inside Jordan's house</a>, Mark Cuban <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-calls-out-chris-broussard-over-deandre-jordan-tweet-2015-7">calling out an ESPN reporter</a>, and Chandler Parsons, who'd been DeAndre's best bro just a week before, <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4705530/chandler-parsons-qa-we-did-everything-that-we-can">torching him in an all-time great interview</a>. </p>
<p>As hilarious and entertaining as it was, the saga genuinely affected the trajectories of two of the league's most valuable franchises, and likely changed the way NBA free agency works going forward. The Clippers are suddenly back from the dead; the Mavericks are suddenly screwed, and the NBA is tasked with figuring out how to make sure this type of thing never happens again.</p>
<p>This saga has so many weird elements and subplots that it only makes sense when it's explained in full, so here's a complete timeline of how it went down.</p>
<h2>May-June: Why DeAndre 'left' LA</h2>
<p>Let's start in the playoffs, where the Clippers crashed out to the underdog Houston Rockets in the second round. Throughout the playoffs LA's opponents were intentionally fouling Jordan, a 39.7% free-throw shooter, in order to disrupt the Clippers' league-best offense.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hack-a-jordan-spurs-2015-4">Hack-a-Jordan strategy didn't <em>really</em> work</a>, but it turned Jordan into a divisive figure among, fans, coaches, and, apparently, players. After the Clippers lost to Houston, <a href="http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/deandre-jordan-los-angeles-clippers-free-agency-chris-paul-rift-051815">Bill Reiter of Fox Sports reported</a> that there was an ongoing feud between Jordan and Chris Paul, with Paul's contention that Jordan didn't practice free throws enough as one of the contributing factors. This report was <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13194922/deandre-jordan-looks-step-los-angeles-clippers-stars-shadows">backed up two months later by ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz</a>, who said Jordan had grown tired of Paul's "constant barking and petty gestures."</p>
<p>When Jordan became a free agent on July 1, two options emerged: 1. stay in LA and continue to play a secondary role on a Chris Paul/Blake Griffin-led team, or 2. take slightly less money to go to Dallas and be the piece around which the team is built.</p>
<p>The Mavericks made sense because Jordan's agent, Dan Fegan, has <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4696780/cubans-relationship-with-agent-the-dwight-to-dallas-key">a famously close relationship</a> with Mark Cuban. In addition, Jordan is from Texas, the state's tax laws would basically nullify <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-the-contracts-deandre-jordan-can-sign-with-the-clippers-and-mavericks-2015-7">the financial advantage the Clippers had under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement</a>, and the team had max cap space and an opening at center. </p>
<p>They also had a secret weapon: ace recruiter Chandler Parsons. According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, <a href="http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/13207991/deandre-jordan-dallas-mavericks-wants-nba-next-great-center-according-chandler-parsons">Parsons and Jordan spent six days together hanging out in Los Angeles</a> before free agency opened on July 1. They became effective BFFs:</p>
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I believe this is the fifth straight night that Chandler Parsons dined with DeAndre Jordan. </p>— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/616103744959217664">July 1, 2015</a>
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<p>That's a lot of dinners!</p>
<p>Parsons cozied up to Jordan; the Mavericks offered Jordan "<a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13194922/deandre-jordan-looks-step-los-angeles-clippers-stars-shadows">a Dwight Howard-size role in an NBA offense"</a> (unlike the Clippers, whose initial pitch was reportedly centered around off-the-court marketing things), and on July 3, two days into free agency and six days before he could official sign a contract, Jordan verbally agreed to an $80 million deal.</p>
<p>Cuban had his man and wasn't hiding his elation. He <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/clippersnow/la-sp-cn-mark-cuban-deandre-jordan-20150707-story.html">even went on a Dallas radio station</a> and gave an interview where he talked about signing Jordan and said he was "Shaq-like," which drew a $25,000 tampering fine from the league.</p>
<p>But who cares? For the first time in a long time Cuban went after a max free agent and got him, and now he set about filling out the rest of the roster.</p>
<h2><strong>July 3-8: The Mavs build around DeAndre, and then a loophole gets exposed</strong></h2>
<p>There's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-fiasco-exposes-nba-free-agency-loophole-2015-7">an obvious loophole in the NBA's free agency rules</a>. On July 1, players are officially free agents and can negotiate contracts with teams. However, they can't sign those contracts until July 9. During this eight-day moratorium, the NBA counts its money and determines the next year's salary cap. The idea is to give league accountants time to conduct an audit while also giving teams enough time to meet with players they want to sign.</p>
<p>The verbal agreements made during this moratorium aren't binding, but through a set of unwritten rules, the NBA treats them as if they're set in stone. Teams won't try to poach free agents after they make a verbal agreement, for example. As a result, the vast majority of business conducted in the NBA offseason happens during the moratorium, when the moves aren't technically official.</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/541992c969bedd750c47c0dd-1200-858/114500471.jpg" border="0" alt="mark cuban"></p>
<p>The Mavericks got screwed because they behaved as if they already had DeAndre in the bag. They signed Wes Matthews to a massive deal thinking he was a secondary perimeter piece on a team with a dominant center. They let the market for centers dry up, with Robin Lopez going to New York, Kosta Koufos going to Sacramento, and Omer Asik going to New Orleans. They unsurprisingly turned the page on Rajon Rondo and Monta Ellis. They did away with any possible Plan B, like Roy Hibbert, who went to the Lakers:</p>
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Report: Mavericks and Pacers will discuss Monta Ellis/Roy Hibbert sign-and-trade if Mavs don’t get DeAndre Jordan <a href="http://t.co/pFaM90nMno">http://t.co/pFaM90nMno</a> </p>— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/616719259314446336">July 2, 2015</a>
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<p>In a radio interview on July 3, Cuban said <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-mavericks/headlines/20150703-mark-cuban-admits-mavs-would-have-tanked-next-season-if-they-missed-on-premiere-free-agents.ece">getting DeAndre made him do a complete 180 on his offseason plan</a>. He said the plan was to take a "step back" and save money if they struck out on DeAndre:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"We wanted to get Wes, he was a target for us all summer, and obviously DeAndre as well, but if we got shut out, we weren’t going to just try to fill the roster. We had the discussion that if we couldn’t get a serious free agent, whether it was one of the guys still out there or some of the guys who already went, then it was time to take a step back." </p>
<p>While it's <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4305310">not unprecedented</a> for players to change their minds and back out of verbal agreements, it's so rare (especially for guys like Jordan) that teams feel comfortable doing all their business as if these deals are binding.</p>
<p>On July 8, a day before teams could officially sign players, the Mavs found out how devastating this loophole can be.</p>
<h2><strong>July 8, afternoon: Hahahahah, what?!</strong></h2>
<p>One of the first signals that this DeAndre thing was going to blow up came from ESPN's Marc Stein on Wednesday, July 8, around noon:</p>
<div><div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
Story going online now: ESPN sources say Clippers lobbying DeAndre Jordan to reverse his decision to join Dallas and stay in LA with Clips </p>— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618818662523387904">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer">But things started rolling two days before that. According to ESPN, DeAndre <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/deandre-jordan-thoughts-clips-mavs-battle-center/story?id=32307977">called Rivers on Monday, July 6</a> to tell him he was having "second thoughts." At that point he was at his house in Houston, but he was still in contact with the Mavericks.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">"Through all of Monday we were texting back and forth discussing players available, the amount of cap room we had left. Who our staff liked. Who he liked. How excited he was," <a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/7/10/8928223/cuban-starts-to-tell-his-side-of-the-deandre-jordan-saga">Cuban said in a CyberDust post to fans</a>.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">Things changed on Tuesday. According to Cuban, DeAndre stopped responding to him, so he flew to Houston and checked into a hotel down the street from his house.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">"I had my driver take me to his house," Cuban said. "There was no one home. So I texted him saying that I was there. I know something is up. Let's talk. He texted me that I was on a date."</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">On <a href="http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-lowe-post-podcast-j-j-redick-on-the-deandre-jordan-saga-emoji-free-agency-and-more/">a podcast with Grantland's Zach Lowe</a>, Clippers player JJ Redick identified who that date was with: Blake Griffin. Redick says Griffin was in Houston and he and Jordan went out to dinner on Tuesday night, before the saga went public on Wednesday.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">It was actually Tuesday morning, Redick says, that Doc Rivers called him and said, "Hey, DeAndre wants to come back. We're going to Houston."</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">Redick drove from his home in Austin to Houston on Wednesday morning, where a Clippers contingent that included Rivers, Griffin, owner Steve Ballmer, Chris Paul, and Pierce was gathering at a hotel ahead of a meeting at Jordan's house where they expected him to recommit to coming to LA.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">In response to reports that the Clippers were assembling, Parsons — the guy who did the legwork on the Jordan recruiting process — tweeted a plane emoji indicating he was coming to Houston to save the day:</p>
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<p>
✈️ </p>— Chandler Parsons (@ChandlerParsons) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618842569133305857">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Redick, who was already in Houston, immediately responded with his own emoji.</span></p>
<p>"I was just on my Twitter account, scrolling through my timeline, and I saw a plane emoji. You know, 'Chandler Parsons to the rescue, yaaa!'" Redick told Lowe. "And I was just like, alright we're gonna tweet out a car. I'm already here."</p>
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🚙 </p>— JJ Redick (@JJRedick) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618844949413433344">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer">Griffin got in on the act as well (even though he was already in town and had dinner with DeAndre the night before):</p>
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✈️🚁🚙 </p>— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin32) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618847732933898240">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer">And then there was Paul, Jordan's supposed adversary. The day before the DeAndre affair, Paul was photographed in the Bahamas riding a banana boat with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade:</p>
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LeBron, D-Wade &amp; CP3 -- Just 3 Guys On a Banana Boat (Pic) <a href="http://t.co/jI7ifbivFF">http://t.co/jI7ifbivFF</a> </p>— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618550071877971968">July 7, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer">Once the emoji ball got rolling, everyone on Twitter joked that Paul was going to surf into Houston on a banana boat: </p>
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If Chris Paul tweets out a banana boat emoji, I'm done. </p>— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618849035835850752">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer">And then he actually did it: </p>
<div><div>
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🍌🚤 </p>— Chris Paul (@CP3) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618851936888950784">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer">But apparently he got the Doc call on Tuesday, too, because he was actually photographed at a Houston Chick-fil-A before the whole thing exploded on Twitter (h/t Grantland's NBA After Dark podcast): </p>
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Earlier today Chris Paul in Houston - an <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/abc13eyewitness?src=hash">#abc13eyewitness</a> spotted Paul at the Chik-Fil-a by the downtown park shops. <a href="http://t.co/xK4VjotKZV">pic.twitter.com/xK4VjotKZV</a> </p>— David Nuño (@DavidNunoABC13) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618866463357534208">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer">Once Paul came in with the banana boat, more Clippers jumped on board. Assistant coach Mike Woodson tweeted a swimming-man emoji: </p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
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🏊 </p>— Mike Woodson (@MikeWoodsonNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618862779533914113">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer">Paul Pierce, the veteran of the group, ended it by tweeting a .jpg of a spaceship emoji rather than an actual in-line emoji: </p>
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<a href="http://t.co/SIyHJjDScR">pic.twitter.com/SIyHJjDScR</a> </p>— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618860245025030144">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p>So that is how we occupied our Wednesday afternoon. About eight hours before the moratorium ended, an NBA team was assembling in their once disgruntled free agent's city in a last-minute attempt to convince him to break an $80 million verbal agreement, and they were celebrating it via emoji! The NBA is the best sports league in the world.</p>
<h2><strong>July 8, night: The hostage crisis</strong></h2>
<p>It only got better from there.</p>
<p>The Clippers went to DeAndre's house on Wednesday evening. According to Redick, the group had a short, serious meeting during which DeAndre committed to coming back to the team, and then they went on to play cards, eat chicken, and wait out the clock until 12:01 a.m. ET when Jordan could officially sign his contract.</p>
<p>While it was happening, the NBA world was eagerly following along on social media. At some point, it became clear that the Clippers straight up weren't going to leave that house without a deal:</p>
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So far, Clippers able to keep everyone else out of house, including Cuban, agents. Everyone. They're in four-corners until midnight Eastern. </p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618944732203319296">July 9, 2015</a>
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<div><div>
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Yahoo Sources: Clippers believe they have a DeAndre Jordan commitment, refuse to exit his home. <a href="http://t.co/gq3HZlRHju">http://t.co/gq3HZlRHju</a> </p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618954210076327936">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p>According to Cuban, DeAndre didn't return any of the Mavs' calls or texts during this whole thing. The Clippers had him surrounded.</p>
<p>From inside the house Blake Griffin tweeted that he'd barred the doors:</p>
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<p>
Don't agree with the furniture layout but I'm not an interior designer. <a href="http://t.co/23PNgQB88z">pic.twitter.com/23PNgQB88z</a> </p>— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin32) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618960135050825729">July 9, 2015</a>
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Alright everybody goodnight! <a href="http://t.co/cME0rFR5LC">pic.twitter.com/cME0rFR5LC</a> </p>— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin32) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618967776955248640">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p>At this point it was clear that DeAndre was going back to Los Angeles. So what was going on with Cuban, Parsons, and the Mavs?</p>
<p>Well, ESPN's Chris Broussard fired off a tweet making it sound like he was losing his mind:</p>
<div><div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
CORRECTION: Sources: Cuban beside himself. Driving around downtown HOUSTON begging (thru texts) Jordan's family 4 address to DeAndre's home </p>— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618975923535245312">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p>Cuban, who<span>, if you'll remember, </span>checked into a hotel down the street from Jordan's house, <a href="http://deadspin.com/mark-cuban-calls-espn-dipshit-chris-broussards-reportin-1716747550">told Deadspin that this tweet was garbage</a>, "Driving around Houston? That’s ridiculous. I was in my hotel all day yesterday." </p>
<p>The next morning he called out Broussard directly:</p>
<div><div>
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<p>
.<a href="https://twitter.com/Chris_Broussard">@Chris_Broussard</a> that's is the dumbest shit Ive ever heard. If you had any ethics u would msg me and I will give u his address </p>— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/619143560357502976">July 9, 2015</a>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/Chris_Broussard">@Chris_Broussard</a> how about this. You post any proof I was calling/texting his friends asking anything I give 100k to charity of yr choice. </p>— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/619229130744172545">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p>On Friday, Broussard admitted defeat, publishing an official apology for saying Cuban was frantically driving around Houston looking for DeAndre's house:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Regarding my Wednesday report: I should have attempted to contact Mark Cuban before reporting what my sources were telling me. I always try to carry myself with honesty and integrity both personally and professionally. I recognize that I tweeted hastily, I’m sorry for it, and I will learn from my mistake. </p>
<p>Jordan never contacted Cuban or the Mavs before backing out of the deal.</p>
<p>Back to Jordan's house, a<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">fter much spades and Blake Griffin's <span>meta</span> tweets, DeAndre signed the deal:</span></p>
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That's why they brought me here lol <a href="http://t.co/Z64Tkiyp01">pic.twitter.com/Z64Tkiyp01</a> </p>— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618997675979988993">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p>Notably absent from this whole hostage crisis: Dan Fegan, the superagent who represents Jordan and is close with Cuban.</p>
<p>This wasn't an accident, apparently:</p>
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<p>
One person not in the meeting or the house with DeAndre Jordan right now -- his agent Dan Fegan. It's just DJ &amp; the Clippers coaches/players </p>— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618946776997998592">July 9, 2015</a>
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Clipper player who spoke to DJ, but was not at the mtg, said DJ felt his agent had pushed him to Dallas and he changed his mind over wknd </p>— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618998277095202816">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p>Five days after agreeing to go to Dallas for $80 million, Jordan found himself back in LA on a four-year, $87 million deal.</p>
<h2><strong>The aftermath</strong></h2>
<p>NBA free agency is so amazing because the stakes are legitimately high. This is a league where the movement of one player, even a slightly above average one who mainstream sports fans may have never even heard of, can change everything. Emojis and beefs and agent drama aside, this whole thing really mattered! The Clippers would have been in a really bad spot if DeAndre had left. Without the cap flexibility to replace him or the assets to make a trade, they would have had a gaping whole at center and their defense would have fallen apart. Convincing Jordan to return was the difference between the Clippers being a title contender in 2015-16 (which they now should be) and them having a capped-out, unbalanced team that wouldn't have been a top-four contender in the West. There's a reason Redick initially <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jj-redick-gives-clippers-an-f-for-losing-deandre-jordan-to-dallas-mavericks-2015-7">said the Clippers should get an "F" for this offseason</a>.</p>
<p class="full"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5559facbeab8ead62c3cee2a-1199-899/deandre-jordan-blake-griffin.jpg" border="0" alt="deandre jordan blake griffin"></p>
<p>For the Mavs, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-decision-disaster-mavericks-2015-7">it's a disaster</a>. They still signed Matthews (and, notably, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/7/3/8818683/wes-matthews-mavericks-contract-nba-free-agency-2015">gave him an extra $13 million</a> more than they'd originally negotiated), but they never planned for him to be the focal point of the team he is now. Would the Mavs have been in juggernaut with DeAndre? No. But if he'd blossomed into a more central role, and they added someone else with cap room next year, they certainly had the makings of a contender.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4705530/chandler-parsons-qa-we-did-everything-that-we-can">an interview with ESPN's Tim MacMahon</a>, Parsons explained, "That’s the worst part. He put our entire franchise and our team in a really, really tough spot. We put all our eggs in the DeAndre Jordan basket and we had a commit from him. We had a man’s word that he was going to come here."</p>
<p>In that same interview, Parsons called the guy he went out to dinner with five times the week before <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4705530/chandler-parsons-qa-we-did-everything-that-we-can">"scared" and "unprofessional."</a></p>
<p>Here's what he had to say about Jordan screening Cuban's calls and texts:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Be a professional. Pick up the phone. If you’re not going to meet with him, pick up the phone and tell the guy that you’re committed to what you’re feeling, what you’re going through and maybe he can talk it out and help you. But do not ignore the guy. Do not make him sit there and sweat it out. That’s just very unprofessional. I can’t get over that part."</p>
<p>The Mavericks have since traded for center Zaza Pachulia, and they may be making a play for Deron Williams. Cuban says he has moved on, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-dallas-mavericks-deandre-jordan-2015-7">telling the crowd at a discussion at SMU</a>, "We have this big, tall German [Dirk Nowitzki] who is pretty good and he is still around. And we signed Wes Matthews. We have been fortunate to this point in my 15 years there. We have great leadership, a great team, and we are going to keep on moving forward."</p>
<p>Still, no matter how Cuban spins it, his team got screwed here. In the aftermath of the DeAndre saga, almost everyone in the NBA is talking about how <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-fiasco-exposes-nba-free-agency-loophole-2015-7">the league can change free agency</a> so this never happens again. While this DeAndre thing is rare (if not entirely unprecedented), the league just can't afford to move forward with a system that's overly reliant on the sanctity of handshake deals.</p>
<div><div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
Safest prediction in the NBA right now: The moratorium period will never be the same. Change surely coming because endless fallout awaits </p>— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618969648118149120">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer"></p>
<p>Some think <a href="http://grantland.com/the-triangle/sorting-out-the-deandre-jordan-carnival/">the moratorium should be done away with entirely</a>. Others think <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/25236886/free-agent-circus-ends-with-jordan-back-in-la-league-looking-foolish">it should be shortened</a> to a few days so teams can't be left devoid of options the way the Mavs were. Either way, it's a safe bet that those 12 hours — in all their absurdity — changed what NBA free agency is going to look like.</p>
<div><div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
One Clipper who just left the party at DJ's texted simply, "I need sleep." </p>— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/619018602562330624">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer"></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-deandre-jordan-fiasco-changed-the-nba-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cristiano-ronaldo-spends-money-salary-fortune-real-madrid-2015-5">Here's how Cristiano Ronaldo spends his money</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/jj-redick-explains-nba-twitter-emoji-war-2015-7Clippers player JJ Redick gives a first-hand account of how the NBA emoji war startedhttp://www.businessinsider.com/jj-redick-explains-nba-twitter-emoji-war-2015-7
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 16:13:00 -0400Scott Davis
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/55a02543ecad048e2ff7425b-1092-819/jj-redick-3.jpg" border="0" alt="jj redick "></p><p>Leading up to DeAndre Jordan's shocking decision to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-clippers-mavericks-2015-7">back out of a deal with the Mavericks and re-sign with the Clippers</a>, players from both teams converged on Houston to recruit Jordan to their teams.</p>
<p>In the process, players from both teams sent out emoji-based tweets, demonstrating their involvement in this <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/clippers-mavericks-go-to-emoji-war-over-deandre-jordan-2015-7">all-out recruiting war</a>. Soon, the battle went viral, with NBA and other sports accounts sending out similar tweets, despite having no involvement </p>
<p>Clippers guard J.J. Redick, who had publicly <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jj-redick-gives-clippers-an-f-for-losing-deandre-jordan-to-dallas-mavericks-2015-7">given the Clippers an "F" for not re-signing Jordan</a> before Jordan changed his mind, went on <a href="http://espn.go.com/espnradio/grantland/player?id=13233828">Zach Lowe's podcast "The Lowe Post"</a> and gave a first-hand account of the war.</p>
<p>Redick told Lowe he had driven to Houston on Wednesday morning after he had gotten a call from Clippers coach and GM Doc Rivers that Jordan wanted to go back to L.A.</p>
<p>Reddick said the story hadn't broken yet. He got to his hotel, went on Twitter, and saw the story had been reported by ESPN's Marc Stein.</p>
<p>He then saw that Chandler Parsons, the Mavericks' lead recruiter for Jordan, tweeted out a plane emoji, suggesting he was on his way to Houston to re-recruit Jordan:</p>
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✈️ </p>— Chandler Parsons (@ChandlerParsons) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618842569133305857">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p>Redick told Lowe: "I was just kind of on my Twitter account, scrolling through my timeline, and I saw a plane emoji. You know, 'Chandler Parsons to the rescue, yaaay!' And I'm just like, 'Alright, we're gonna tweet out a car, I'm already here.'"</p>
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🚙 </p>— JJ Redick (@JJRedick) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618844949413433344">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p>Afterward, Blake Griffin got in the mix:</p>
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✈️🚁🚙 </p>— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin32) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618847732933898240">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p>As did Chris Paul, who'd previously been <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2015/07/07/lebron-dwyane-wade-and-cp3-chris-paul-just-3-guys-on-a-banana-boat/">banana-boating in the Bahamas with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James</a>:</p>
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🍌🚤 </p>— Chris Paul (@CP3) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618851936888950784">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p>However, the tweet that really set the Internet ablaze was Paul Pierce's <em>picture</em> of a rocket emoji, causing some to wonder if the 37-year-old forward knew how to access emojis in the first place.</p>
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<a href="http://t.co/SIyHJjDScR">pic.twitter.com/SIyHJjDScR</a> </p>— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618860245025030144">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p>Redick was as baffled as the rest of the Internet:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"I'm still not sure why he tweeted that out, because he wasn't trolling like, 'Hey, I don't know how to use emojis.' He's got a couple of emoji apps on his phone, neither of which I had ever heard of. I have, like, <em>the</em> emoji app, you know, the one where you type in emoji? He's got some crazy ones, and he's got, like, these emojis I've never seen before. And so, I don't know why he couldn't type that emoji into his actual, you know, Twitter feed or whatever. It was bizarre. I have no idea. I still am unsure as to why it was a picture of a space ship emoji and not an actual spaceship emoji... I'm still unsure of that. Because we talked about it, it just still doesn't make sense to me."</p>
<p>Soon, many others in the NBA world jumped in, with the Warriors tweeting out a trophy emoji and Kobe Bryant tweeting out five ring emojis.</p>
<p>While some argue that the whole scenario reflected poorly on Jordan, the Clippers, and the NBA, Redick felt it drew mainly positive attention to the NBA.</p>
<p>"It's such a small subset of people that were actually a part of this story on Twitter, and yeah, there were some emojis being tweeted out, but it was all in good fun," Redick said. "Our meeting was very serious. DeAndre's decision was very serious. But having said that, Wednesday was the best day on Twitter, maybe, ever."</p>
<p>Though the event did affect the fates of at least two franchises — Redick admitted he felt slightly bad for the Mavs — the viral nature of the tweet storm did make it one of the most fun, memorable sports stories in recent memory.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chandler-parsons-torches-deandre-jordan-for-leaving-dallas-2015-7#ixzz3fWTO8UsE" >Mavericks player Chandler Parsons torches 'scared,' 'unprofessional' DeAndre Jordan for backing out of $80 million deal</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jj-redick-explains-nba-twitter-emoji-war-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/golfboard-combines-golf-cart-skateboard-2015-5">A famous surfer is trying to revolutionize the sport of golf with a new gadget</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-dallas-mavericks-deandre-jordan-2015-7Mark Cuban explains what he told his Mavericks employees after getting spurned by DeAndre Jordanhttp://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-dallas-mavericks-deandre-jordan-2015-7
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 09:25:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/559fc536eab8eac730f7425d-1200-924/mark-cuban-239.jpg" border="0" alt="Mark Cuban"></p><p>Mark Cuban likely had an emotional moment or two when <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-clippers-mavericks-2015-7">free agent DeAndre Jordan backed out of his agreement to sign with the Dallas Mavericks</a> and instead re-signed with the Clippers. But when it came time to talk to his front office about the move, he says he was very levelheaded.</p>
<p>Speaking to the graduates of the inaugural class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program at Southern Methodist University on Thursday, Cuban was asked how he handles a setback like the Jordan situation, and what he says to his people at times like this.</p>
<p>His answer was much more like that of an experienced and composed leader than that of a combative and fiery personality many were probably expecting (via ESPN Radio).</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"The conversations that we had today — it's over. There's nothing you can do about it. You think for a second, 'Is there anything I can change?' You think for another second, 'What have I learned so I can do it differently next time?' Then you move forward and say 'What are our options?' I am a big believer you have to re-earn your business every single day. You have to look to see whether or not you need to reinvent your business every day. Because there is someone out there. There is some 8-year-old, 12-year-old going to UT, SMU, all these great things I just talked about, this great talent, they are out there trying to kick your butt. And if I am going to stay ahead, whether it is the NBA or any of my other companies, I have to keep on moving forward. That's the way it is with the Mavericks. We have this big, tall German [Dirk Nowitzki] who is pretty good and he is still around. And we signed Wes Matthews. We have been fortunate to this point in my 15 years there. We have great leadership, a great team, and we are going to keep on moving forward.”</p>
<p>Here is the full video via the CBS affiliate in Dallas. Cuban had a funny reaction to being asked about Jordan, which included, "So, this week on 'Shark Tank'!" and, "Oh, you had to say his name."<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
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<p class="embed-spacer"></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-dallas-mavericks-deandre-jordan-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/chandler-parsons-torches-deandre-jordan-for-leaving-dallas-2015-7Mavericks player Chandler Parsons torches 'scared,' 'unprofessional' DeAndre Jordan for backing out of $80 million dealhttp://www.businessinsider.com/chandler-parsons-torches-deandre-jordan-for-leaving-dallas-2015-7
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 18:44:00 -0400Scott Davis
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/559ef6f769bedd857f34f54a-1193-894/chandler-parsons-5.jpg" border="0" alt="chandler parsons"></p><p>DeAndre Jordan's decision to back out of an $80 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks at the last minute and re-sign with the Clippers shocked the NBA world, but it might not have affected anyone more than Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons.</p>
<p>Parsons, who shares the same agent as Jordan, <a href="http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/13207991/deandre-jordan-dallas-mavericks-wants-nba-next-great-center-according-chandler-parsons">became the lead recruiter early in free agency</a>, at one point spending six-straight days with Jordan.</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4705530/chandler-parsons-qa-we-did-everything-that-we-can">tell-all interview with ESPN's Tim MacMahon</a>, Parsons trashed Jordan's decision to back out on the Mavericks, saying he was "shocked, very disappointed, frustrated, disrespected."</p>
<p>"He wasn’t ready for being a franchise player. He was scared," he told ESPN. "He was scared to take the next step in his career."</p>
<p>The <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4705530/chandler-parsons-qa-we-did-everything-that-we-can">whole thing is worth a read</a>, but here are some of the stand-out quotes.</p>
<p><strong>On Jordan's decision to spurn the Mavericks:</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"When a man gives you his word and an organization his word, especially when that organization put in so much effort and I walked him through this process and was very, very open and willing to work with him, it’s just very unethical and disrespectful."</p>
<p><strong>On whether the Mavericks could have done anything differently to keep Jordan in Dallas:</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"There is nothing more that we could have physically, emotionally possibly done to make him feel more comfortable and to make him stay and sign with Dallas. I guess maybe I could have stayed with him in L.A. or Houston and held his hand throughout the entire process, but I didn’t think that ever I would have to do something like that."</p>
<p><strong>On if the gamble Dallas took by going all-in on Jordan was worth it:</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"This was a risk that we were willing to take, and I think it was worth taking. It’s not our fault. We did everything that we could. We had a verbal commitment from a grown-ass man. Like, there’s nothing else that we could have done."</p>
<p>He also called Jordan's refusal to take Mark Cuban's phone calls on Wednesday "unprofessional."</p>
<p>Throughout the interview, Parsons repeats that it isn't personal between him and Jordan and that they'll maintain a friendship, but he'll remain taken back by how Jordan backed out of the deal. He also says he's personally fine, but feels bad for Mark Cuban, who was committed to signing Jordan and making him a centerpiece for Dallas' future.</p>
<p><a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4705530/chandler-parsons-qa-we-did-everything-that-we-can">Read the entire interview here. &gt;</a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chandler-parsons-torches-deandre-jordan-for-leaving-dallas-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/golfboard-combines-golf-cart-skateboard-2015-5">A famous surfer is trying to revolutionize the sport of golf with a new gadget</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-fiasco-exposes-nba-free-agency-loophole-2015-7The DeAndre Jordan fiasco exposed a loophole that's going to completely change NBA free agencyhttp://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-fiasco-exposes-nba-free-agency-loophole-2015-7
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 11:24:00 -0400Tony Manfred
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/559e8b3d6bb3f77a73679458-908-681/deandre-jordan-clippers-1.jpg" border="0" alt="deandre jordan clippers"></p><p>The DeAndre Jordan saga — where one of the NBA's most coveted free agents <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-clippers-mavericks-2015-7">backed out of a verbal agreement with the Dallas Mavericks at the 11th hour</a> and re-signed with the Los Angeles Clippers — is one of the great NBA offseason stories of all time.</p>
<p>It involved Chris Paul leaving <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/7/7/8909811/lebron-james-dwyane-wade-and-chris-paul-took-a-ride-on-a-banana-boat">his banana boat</a> behind to <a href="https://twitter.com/ramonashelburne/status/618851265972408320">join the recruiting effort</a>, the Clippers <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-clippers-mavericks-2015-7">refusing to leave DeAndre's house</a> until midnight, Mark Cuban <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-calls-out-chris-broussard-over-deandre-jordan-tweet-2015-7">calling out an ESPN reporter</a> for saying he was frantically driving around Houston looking for DeAndre's house, and some <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/clippers-mavericks-go-to-emoji-war-over-deandre-jordan-2015-7">very good tweets</a>.</p>
<p>Putting the absurdity of the whole thing aside, it's going to have far-reaching effects for NBA free agency going forward.</p>
<p>Until this point, NBA free agency had functioned through a set of unwritten rules. On July 1 teams can start negotiation with free agents. For the next eight days there's a moratorium on signing players, during which the NBA counts its money and determines the next year's salary cap. On July 9, players can officially sign the deals they negotiated during the moratorium.</p>
<p>The loophole here is obvious: The deals negotiated during the moratorium aren't actually binding, even though NBA teams treat them as such. When a player verbally agrees to a contract before July 9 — <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13193952/deandre-jordan-agrees-deal-dallas-mavericks">as Jordan did with the Mavericks five days before the moratorium ended</a> — the rest of the league leaves him alone. There's an unwritten "no poaching" rule, and this gives teams enough assurance to do an extraordinary degree of business before they can actually sign these guys on July 9.</p>
<p>The Mavericks, for example, went about their business under the assumption that they had Jordan locked up. They let Tyson Chandler go to Phoenix. They didn't put in an offer for centers like Omer Asik, Robin Lopez, or Kosta Koufos, all of whom are now off the board. They didn't pull the trigger on a trade for Roy Hibbert, who's now headed to the Lakers. They signed Wes Matthews thinking he'd be a secondary piece on a Jordan-centered team, rather than a primary piece. The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-decision-disaster-mavericks-2015-7">Mavs are now screwed</a>, and they're screwed because they followed the standard practice of behaving as if deals agreed upon during the moratorium are set in stone.</p>
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/541c7d4669bedddf21175409-1200-783/adam%20silver%20nba.jpg" border="0" alt="Adam Silver NBA"></p>
<p>Players <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4305310">have backed out on verbal deals before</a>, but never as dramatically and destructively as Jordan did. It's going to change how NBA free agency works in one of two ways: 1. The moratorium rules will stay the same, but the unwritten rules will get thrown out the window and teams and players will have no idea if verbal agreements will hold any weight, or, 2. The NBA will change the rules to prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future.</p>
<p>The NBA world seems to believe the second option is the more likely one.</p>
<p>Grantland's Zach Lowe <a href="http://grantland.com/the-triangle/sorting-out-the-deandre-jordan-carnival/">wrote that a proposal to do away with the moratorium is popular among NBA executives</a>:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Finish the damn audit on June 30, set the cap, and start real free agency — signings and everything — on July 1. Kill the moratorium. There would still be some back-channeling ahead of July 1, but since all players are technically under contract through June 30, such pre-free-agency chitchat would fall much more clearly under the league’s tampering rules.</p>
<p>CBS's Ken Berger <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/25236886/free-agent-circus-ends-with-jordan-back-in-la-league-looking-foolish">proposed simply shortening the moratorium to a few days</a>:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">The alternative would be to get rid of the moratorium, but that would only invite more chaos — with teams pressuring players to sign deals on the spot at 12:01 a.m. ET on July 1. In most cases, players having time to conduct meetings, weigh their options and make intelligent decisions without being pressured is probably better. If anything, look for the negotiating period to be shortened. Three to five days should be enough time.</p>
<p>Everyone agrees that this is the end of this specific breed of NBA free agency:</p>
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Safest prediction in the NBA right now: The moratorium period will never be the same. Change surely coming because endless fallout awaits </p>— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618969648118149120">July 9, 2015</a>
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Teams leaguewide that have merely been watching this drama unfold are bound to join Mavs in the protest that surely follows. Because ... </p>— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618970227590606848">July 9, 2015</a>
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Because Clips just proved that the system, as it currently operates, actually encourages teams to convince players to renege on their word </p>— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618970816600932352">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p>While it must be tempting to NBA teams to enter a world where it's okay to steal player and back out of deals, no NBA team wants to get screwed the way the Mavs were. As a result, things have to change.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-fiasco-exposes-nba-free-agency-loophole-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cristiano-ronaldo-spends-money-salary-fortune-real-madrid-2015-5">Here's how Cristiano Ronaldo spends his money</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-calls-out-chris-broussard-over-deandre-jordan-tweet-2015-7Mark Cuban calls out ESPN reporter who said he was frantically driving around Houston looking for DeAndre Jordan's househttp://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-calls-out-chris-broussard-over-deandre-jordan-tweet-2015-7
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 10:35:00 -0400Scott Davis
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/54342dc76da8115a3f8b4569-1143-857/mark-cuban-60.jpg" border="0" alt="mark cuban"></p><p></p>
<p>Mark Cuban shot back at ESPN reporter Chris Broussard over a report from Wednesday night's DeAndre Jordan free-agency saga.</p>
<p>Broussard tweeted that Cuban was frantically trying to reach Jordan to convince him to stay with the Mavericks while <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-clippers-mavericks-2015-7">Jordan was meeting with the Clippers at his house</a>:</p>
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Sources: Cuban is beside himself. Driving around downtown Dallas begging (thru texts) Jordan's family for address to DeAndre's home </p>— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618967224536158208">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p>Broussard later corrected himself, noting that Jordan, the Clippers, and Cuban were in Houston, not Dallas.</p>
<p>Cuban responded Thursday morning with an epic comeback:</p>
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/Chris_Broussard">@Chris_Broussard</a> that's is the dumbest shit Ive ever heard. If you had any ethics u would msg me and I will give u his address </p>— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/619143560357502976">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p>It seems that the part of Broussard's tweet about Cuban trying to contact Jordan has some truth to it, though. Cuban said via CyberDust that he hasn't heard from Jordan since Tuesday night, and that Jordan stopped responding to him yesterday:</p>
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Mark Cuban's CyberDust message to Mavs fans (he says there is more to come): <a href="http://t.co/bTq1Jqz2qa">pic.twitter.com/bTq1Jqz2qa</a> </p>— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/619139429077135360">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p>The message reads:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Dear Mavs fans,</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">There will be a time when I detail everything I know regarding the last 48 hours.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I don't think the time is right to say anything beyond the facts that he never responded to me at all yesterday. Not once. To this minute I have not heard anything from him since Tuesday night.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">More importantly, I specifically told Wes (Matthews) that I would not hold him to his commitment if he wanted to go elsewhere. I can't print his exact response, but suffice it to say he is excited to play for our Mavs. Wes Matthews is exactly the type of player we want in a Mavs uniform and our fans will love him.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">He will be in Dallas today so if you see him give him a MFFL welcome.</p>
<p>Whether Cuban was actually driving around and trying to get Jordan's address is unknown, but at the very least, he was likely trying hard to get into contact with his biggest free-agent signing. Jordan apparently wasn't answering calls from Mavs forward Chandler Parsons, who played a huge part in recruiting Jordan to the Mavs initially:</p>
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I'm told that DeAndre Jordan won't even take a phone call from Mark Cuban or Chandler Parsons. </p>— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618952484912939008">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p>Jordan apparently froze out the Mavs and his agent while he met with the Clippers. The Clippers even took some further measures to ensure their privacy during the meeting:</p>
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Don't agree with the furniture layout but I'm not an interior designer. <a href="http://t.co/23PNgQB88z">pic.twitter.com/23PNgQB88z</a> </p>— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin32) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618960135050825729">July 9, 2015</a>
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<p>The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-decision-disaster-mavericks-2015-7">whole scenario is a disaster for the Mavericks</a>, who now don't have a center and have very few backup options with most of the best free agents already signed and very few trade assets.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-calls-out-chris-broussard-over-deandre-jordan-tweet-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/golfboard-combines-golf-cart-skateboard-2015-5">A famous surfer is trying to revolutionize the sport of golf with a new gadget</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-decision-disaster-mavericks-2015-7The Dallas Mavericks had their $80 million free agent stolen out from under them, and it's a disasterhttp://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-decision-disaster-mavericks-2015-7
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 09:46:00 -0400Scott Davis
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/559e774f69beddf909679458-1130-847/mark-cuban-shocked-mavs.jpg" border="0" alt="mark cuban shocked mavs"></p><p>At the tail end of the NBA's free-agency period, DeAndre Jordan created the biggest mess of the summer.</p>
<p>After reportedly agreeing to a four-year, $80 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks, Jordan had second thoughts and held a meeting with the Clippers on the eve of the NBA's official signing period to discuss re-signing.</p>
<p>It created an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/clippers-mavericks-go-to-emoji-war-over-deandre-jordan-2015-7">all-out recruiting war</a>, with both Mavs and Clippers coaches, players, and owners traveling to Houston to persuade Jordan to sign with them.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-clippers-mavericks-2015-7">Jordan froze out the Mavs and his agent while he met with the Clippers</a> at his home, eventually deciding to <a href="https://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/status/619020706127294464">re-sign with LA for a reported five years and $88 million</a>.</p>
<p>For the Mavericks, this is a total disaster. After a free agency that saw them land Jordan and Wesley Matthews, the Mavericks looked like fringe contenders in the Western Conference.</p>
<p>Instead the Mavs lost their biggest signing, but it's just one part of a bigger ripple effect.</p>
<p>In chasing Jordan, the Mavericks let go of Tyson Chandler, a valuable center who has a similar skill set as Jordan's but is a few years older. Jordan would have been an upgrade, but without him the Mavs have a giant hole at center.</p>
<p>The Mavs have salary-cap space again now that Jordan is out, but most of the NBA's top free agents have already agreed to contracts with teams. Omer Asik got $60 million from the Pelicans, Robin Lopez got $54 million from the Knicks, Chandler got $52 million from the Suns, and Kosta Koufos got $33 million from the Kings.</p>
<p>Additionally, the Matthews signing looks riskier by the moment. Matthews was one of the top wing players the past two seasons, but he tore his left Achilles tendon last season. Though Matthews is reportedly already on his feet, practicing on his own, Achilles tears have historically been harmful to players' careers.</p>
<p>The Mavericks traded backup center Brandan Wright last year for Rajon Rondo, along with their 2016 first-round pick (top-seven protected). Now the team seems likely to miss the playoffs and might not even have a draft pick as consolation, and it would be unwise to trade future picks for a player now with a potential rebuilding process looming.</p>
<p>The Mavericks couldn't have seen this coming, so they can't be faulted for being iced out by Jordan at the last second. Nonetheless, they fall from an intriguing playoff contender to a shallow team without backup options.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-clippers-mavericks-2015-7#ixzz3fOvAFsbj" >Top free agent DeAndre Jordan re-signed with the Clippers after teammates camped out at his house to block Mark Cuban from talking to him</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deandre-jordan-decision-disaster-mavericks-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cristiano-ronaldo-spends-money-salary-fortune-real-madrid-2015-5">Here's how Cristiano Ronaldo spends his money</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-the-contracts-deandre-jordan-can-sign-with-the-clippers-and-mavericks-2015-7Here are the 2 contracts DeAndre Jordan is choosing betweenhttp://www.businessinsider.com/chart-the-contracts-deandre-jordan-can-sign-with-the-clippers-and-mavericks-2015-7
Wed, 08 Jul 2015 16:45:23 -0400Cork Gaines
<p>After verbally agreeing to a contract offer with the Dallas Mavericks, free agent DeAndre Jordan is seemingly having second thoughts and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/clippers-deandre-jordan-last-minute-meeting-2015-7">will meet with his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers.</a>&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">On the surface, it might appear that Jordan can make a lot more money by re-signing with the Clippers, but the difference is actually not that great.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">While the final salary cap figure for the 2015-16 season has yet to be set, <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/25229735/sources-salary-cap-could-be-significantly-higher-than-projected">teams are working under the assumption that it will be $67.1 million</a>. As a player with seven years of experience, Jordan is eligible for a max contract with a starting salary that is 30% of the salary cap, or about $20.1 million. With the Clippers, Jordan can sign a five-year deal with annual raises of 7.5% worth approximately $116.9 million. With the Mavs, Jordan can sign a four-year deal with annual raises of 4.5% worth about $86.1 million.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The difference after four years is less than $4 million. That difference likely goes away completely with the lack of state income tax in Texas. <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/618861487143157760">According to Darren Rovell and Robert Raiola</a>, the overall difference in the two deals drops from more than $29 million to about $12 million based just on taxes.</span></p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/559d85dceab8ea600deccddb-800-600/01-873.png" border="0" alt="NBA Contracts"></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-the-contracts-deandre-jordan-can-sign-with-the-clippers-and-mavericks-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/wrestler-john-cena-squatting-pounds-wwe-2015-5">WWE superstar John Cena just posted a video of himself squatting 396 pounds</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/clippers-deandre-jordan-last-minute-meeting-2015-7The Clippers are begging DeAndre Jordan to back out of his $80 million deal with the Mavericks and re-sign with themhttp://www.businessinsider.com/clippers-deandre-jordan-last-minute-meeting-2015-7
Wed, 08 Jul 2015 13:26:00 -0400Scott Davis
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/559d5a2c69bedd7421eccdde-1200-924/deandre-jordan-2.jpg" border="0" alt="deandre jordan"></p><p>The Los Angeles Clippers are trying to get free agent DeAndre Jordan to have a last-second change-of-heart and return to the Clippers this season instead of joining the Dallas Mavericks, <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13221695/los-angeles-clippers-lobbying-deandre-jordan-back-deal-dallas-mavericks">according to ESPN's Marc Stein</a>.</p>
<p>On July 5, multiple reports said that Jordan had agreed to sign a four-year, $80 million deal with the Mavericks.</p>
<p>With the NBA's moratorium period ending Thursday, July 9, free agents can officially begin signing contracts for their new deals.</p>
<p>It was assumed that Jordan was gone, but now he's reportedly having second thoughts and the Clippers will get to make a final push not to lose their biggest free agent at a meeting on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Stein reports:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Free agents are traditionally considered off limits once they strike a verbal agreement with a team during the NBA's annual moratorium period, but sources said that the Clippers have pushed to secure a meeting Wednesday in Houston for coach/team president Doc Rivers and possibly owner Steve Ballmer to make one last face-to-face pitch to Jordan in an attempt to convince him to walk away from the four-year, $80-plus million max deal he committed to with the Mavericks and instead stay with L.A.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Sources say that some Clippers players have been in contact in recent days as well with Jordan, who informed both teams of his decision last Friday and then flew to his offseason home in Houston.</p>
<p><a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13194922/deandre-jordan-looks-step-los-angeles-clippers-stars-shadows">ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz reported</a> at the time of the initial agreement that there were tensions between Jordan and Chris Paul and that Jordan yearned for a bigger role on offense. Additionally, during their meetings, Jordan felt the Mavericks made him feel more wanted.</p>
<p>Clippers coach Doc Rivers now appears to be offering Jordan more of what he wants:</p>
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Piggyback off <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine">@ESPNSteinLine</a>: Doc told DJ they didn't know he wanted bigger role. LA offering to hire big man coach &amp; increase DJ's touches. </p>— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618821169031053313">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p>And the Clippers may have a shot if Jordan is second-guessing himself:</p>
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Source close to D.Jordan started having 2nd thoughts on leaving LAC early in week, source said. Loves LA, Team closeness. <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine">@ESPNSteinLine</a> 1st </p>— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618822430308499456">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p>This is a borderline unprecedented move in the NBA. Bobby Marks, a former assistant GM for the Brooklyn Nets, tweeted that this would create chaos among front offices:</p>
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Like baseball there are certain "unwritten rules" and this is a big violation of it. Once a player commits to another team you move on. </p>— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618826062038990848">July 8, 2015</a>
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If I was DAL management, I am flying to LA and placing a tent on DJ front lawn. Have the contract ready and let him sign at 9:01pm tonight </p>— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618826376477605888">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p>Both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul will reportedly be at the meeting:</p>
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Hearing Blake Griffin will be in Houston with Clippers to pitch DeAndre Jordan again. </p>— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618826551262449665">July 8, 2015</a>
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Sounds like Chris Paul will be there too according to a league source. Crazy turn of events. </p>— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/618828362790768640">July 8, 2015</a>
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<p>The Clippers are in a desperate spot. They can offer Jordan a max contract because they have his Bird Rights. If Jordan leaves, however, the Clippers are over the salary cap and can't offer a big contract to any centers near Jordan's level as a replacement. They could try to trade for a center, but they have very few assets that would appeal to other teams.</p>
<p>Clippers players are aware of the sizeable hole Jordan would leave on the team. J.J. Redick said yesterday that the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jj-redick-gives-clippers-an-f-for-losing-deandre-jordan-to-dallas-mavericks-2015-7">Clippers would get an 'F' this offseason</a> for failing to re-sign Jordan, their biggest priority.</p>
<p>While it may seem petty for the Clippers to beg Jordan last minute after he agreed to a deal with the Mavs, Jordan could be the difference between championship contention and a bottom-four playoff seed for the Clippers. Championship windows are extremely tight, so if the Clippers feel they have a squad ready to compete for one if they bring back Jordan — beg away!</p>
<p>On the other hand, this would be disastrous for the Mavericks. Jordan was their prized pick-up this summer, a younger, more nimble version of Tyson Chandler, who they let go in free agency. If Jordan goes back to L.A., the Mavericks would virtually have no good options at center, as this late in free agency, the best players have all agreed to terms with other teams.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/clippers-deandre-jordan-last-minute-meeting-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/wrestler-john-cena-squatting-pounds-wwe-2015-5">WWE superstar John Cena just posted a video of himself squatting 396 pounds</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-401k-investing-shark-tank-2015-5Mark Cuban explains why a 401(k) is a no-brainerhttp://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-401k-investing-shark-tank-2015-5
Thu, 18 Jun 2015 15:40:43 -0400Joe Avella and Graham Flanagan
<p><a href="https://www.cyberdust.com/index.html"></a></p>
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<p><a href="https://www.cyberdust.com/index.html">Billionaire entrepreneur</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> and </span><a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank">"Shark Tank" co-host</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> Mark Cuban stopped by the office to talk about a number of topics. In this video he tells us why investing in a 401(k) is both easy and wise.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Mark Cuban is the creator of </span><a href="https://www.cyberdust.com/invitation.html">Cyber Dust</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, a private messaging app. His user name is +blogmaverick.</span></p>
<p><em>Produced by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/author/joe-avella">Joe Avella</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/author/graham-flanagan">Graham Flanagan</a><br></em></p>
<p><strong>Follow BI Video: </strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsider.Video">On Facebook</a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-401k-investing-shark-tank-2015-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/billionaire-mark-cuban-luckiest-guy-2015-6How billionaire tech investor Mark Cuban became the 'luckiest guy in the world'http://www.businessinsider.com/billionaire-mark-cuban-luckiest-guy-2015-6
Mon, 01 Jun 2015 16:51:01 -0400Madeline Stone
<p><span><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/556cb489ecad04cf75828ff4-1200-924/mark-cuban-champ-5.jpg" border="0" alt="mark cuban champ">Mark Cuban became a billionaire in 1999 when he sold his company, Broadcast.com, to Yahoo for $6 billion.</span></p>
<p>His <a href="http://www.forbes.com/profile/mark-cuban/">net worth</a> is now estimated at $3 billion, and he has numerous mansions, private planes, and sports cars to his name. </p>
<p>He also owns the Dallas Mavericks, who brought the NBA championship home in 2011.</p>
<p>"I'm the luckiest guy in the world," Cuban <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-on-being-a-billionaire-there-are-no-downsides-2014-12">said</a> at Business Insider's IGNITION conference. "I only have to do what I want to do. I only have to do what I like to do."</p><h3>Cuban has been a businessman since the beginning. When he was a senior at Indiana University, he and a friend bought a bar called Motley's in downtown Bloomington. It was eventually shut down after they named an underage girl the winner of a wet t-shirt contest held on the premises.</h3>
<p><biembeddedobject id="b57bd228-bdd2-4d3c-b21e-622f6150338f" style="width: 600px; height: 200px;" class="twitter mceNonEditable">Tweet Embed:<br />https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/530961499347771392<br />This was an ad for the bar we started at IU. Yes we had nerf basketball and you didn't <a href="http://t.co/3DkF6aRCKy">pic.twitter.com/3DkF6aRCKy</a></biembeddedobject>
<p class="embed-spacer">&nbsp;</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Cuban sold his first company, a consulting firm called MicroSolutions, to CompuServe in 1990. Next, he decided to pay $125,000 for an American Airlines lifetime pass, which let him fly first-class anywhere in the world. "I got as drunk as I could with as many people as I could meet," he told the Financial Times. </h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/556c97cd6bb3f77344cba7ad-400-300/cuban-sold-his-first-company-a-consulting-firm-called-microsolutions-to-compuserve-in-1990-next-he-decided-to-pay-125000-for-an-american-airlines-lifetime-pass-which-let-him-fly-first-class-anywhere-in-the-world-i-got-as-drunk-as-i-could-with-as-many-people-as-i-could-meet-he-told-the-financial-times.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><em>Source:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d7e0f5c4-2719-11e1-b9ec-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3bpQnmI3h">FT</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a1370/billionaire-cuban-sound-0400/">Esquire</a></em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>But Cuban really made it big when Yahoo bought Broadcast.com, a live audio and video streaming site Cuban founded with friend Todd Wagner. The deal, finalized in 1999, was valued at nearly $6 billion.</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/556c95e56da8114067ecba19-400-300/but-cuban-really-made-it-big-when-yahoo-bought-broadcastcom-a-live-audio-and-video-streaming-site-cuban-founded-with-friend-todd-wagner-the-deal-finalized-in-1999-was-valued-at-nearly-6-billion.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><em>Source: <a href="http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a1370/billionaire-cuban-sound-0400/">Esquire</a></em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p></p>
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/billionaire-mark-cuban-luckiest-guy-2015-6#as-of-116-pm-on-january-8-1999-cuban-was-a-billionaire-he-described-the-moment-during-a-podcast-with-james-altucher-i-was-sitting-in-front-of-a-computer-naked-hitting-the-refresh-because-we-were-close--waiting-until-my-net-worth-hit-that-billion-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-rules-startups-tips-strategy-entrepreneur-2015-5Mark Cuban's 12 rules for starting your own business http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-rules-startups-tips-strategy-entrepreneur-2015-5
Tue, 05 May 2015 12:47:00 -0400Mark Cuban
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<p><span>The billionaire tech entrepreneur offers his best advice from for starting a successful business. </span></p>
<p>More at <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/2...">entrepreneur.com</a></p>
<p><em>Watch all the latest <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/video/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Entrepreneur video here</a><br></em></p>
<p><strong>Follow BI Video: </strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsider.Video" rel="nofollow">On Facebook</a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-rules-startups-tips-strategy-entrepreneur-2015-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/houston-rockets-social-media-manager-horse-emoji-tweet-2015-4The Houston Rockets fired a social media manager for sending a dumb, but harmless emoji tweethttp://www.businessinsider.com/houston-rockets-social-media-manager-horse-emoji-tweet-2015-4
Wed, 29 Apr 2015 17:30:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/55414a796da81113589128d8-1200-924/dallas-mavericks-mascot.jpg" alt="Dallas Mavericks mascot" border="0"></p><p>The Houston Rockets eliminated the Dallas Mavericks from the NBA playoffs with a 103-94 win in Game 5 on Tuesday.</p>
<p>However, before the game ended, the official Twitter account of the Rockets sent out a tweet that angered some people and it cost one employee their job.</p>
<p>The tweet in question included a gun emoji pointed at horse emoji (presumably representing the Mavericks, whose mascot is a horse).</p>
<p>The emojis were accompanied by the text, "Shhhhh. Just close your eyes. It will all be over soon."</p>
<p>Here is a screengrab <a href="http://thebiglead.com/2015/04/28/houston-rockets-twitter-put-down-mavericks-with-gun-and-horse-emoji/">via TheBigLead.com</a>.</p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/55414cbbecad043468e17bdc-1200-665/rockets-emoji-tweet.jpg" alt="rockets emoji tweet" border="0"></p>
<p>After the game, the Mavericks addressed the tweet calling it "not very classy" while wishing the Rockets luck as they moved forward.</p>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets">@HoustonRockets</a> Not very classy but we still wish you guys the best of luck in the next round. </p>— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/593246832295182337">April 29, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer">The Rockets later <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/593252813712404480">issued a tweet apologizing for the original tweet</a>.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">On Wednesday, Chad Shanks, the Rockets' digital communications manager, accepted responsibility for the tweet, apologized, and indicated that he had was no longer working for the team.</p>
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Sometimes you can go too far. I will no longer run <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets">@HoustonRockets</a> but am grateful to the organization that let me develop an online voice. </p>— Chad Shanks (@chadjshanks) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/593496214575788032">April 29, 2015</a>
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I did my best to make the account the best in the NBA by pushing the envelope, but pushed too far for some and for that I apologize. </p>— Chad Shanks (@chadjshanks) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/593496504549015554">April 29, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer">A spokesperson for the Rockets confirmed to Business Insider that Shanks had been let go.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">While the tweet was certainly more aggressive than typical pro sports team banter and definitely not very sportsmanlike, it was not like Shanks tweeted a picture of a real gun being pointed at a real horse. They were emojis and by their very nature emojis are supposed to be silly caricatures.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">It is difficult to believe that anybody thought the Rockets were actually threatening a horse or anybody associated with the Mavericks.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">Still, the tweet did anger a lot of people and it's clear that's not what the Rockets want as the perception of their social media brand and in this case, it cost somebody their job.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">The Houston Rockets have not responded to a request for comment.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/houston-rockets-social-media-manager-horse-emoji-tweet-2015-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/led-surfboards-wetsuits-professional-night-surfing-morocco-munian-sahyoun-2015-3">Stunning video shows people surfing at night with LED surfboards and wetsuits</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/rajon-rondo-free-agency-2015-4Rajon Rondo's game is suddenly outdated, and it could cost him millions in free agencyhttp://www.businessinsider.com/rajon-rondo-free-agency-2015-4
Fri, 24 Apr 2015 17:40:00 -0400Scott Davis
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/553ab0cbecad047c1b439041-1065-799/rajon-rondo-5.jpg" border="0" alt="rajon rondo"></p><p>After playing less than ten minutes in the Dallas Mavericks' Game 2 loss to the Houston Rockets, the Mavericks announced <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/rajon-rondo-back-injury-out-indefinitely-in-playoffs-2015-4">Rajon Rondo is out indefinitely with a back injury</a>.</p>
<p>Asked whether he could see Rondo ever wearing a Mavs uniform again, <a href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/590993779538034688">Mavs coach Rick Carlisle stunningly said</a>, "No, I don't."</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dallas-mavericks-rajon-rondo-trade-disaster-2015-4">Rondo trade turned into a disaster for the Mavs</a>. He didn't fit with the team's fast-paced, spread offense and he didn't jell with Carlisle, with the two fighting during and after a February game over play-calling duties.</p>
<p>That Rondo couldn't fit into one of the best offenses in the NBA — one that exemplifies much of what a modern NBA offense looks like — spells trouble for his future. As a free agent this summer, finding an ideal team fit for Rondo is difficult, simply because he plays differently than most successful point guards do in 2015.</p>
<p>Seeing Rondo in a "pace-and-space" offensive system wasn't encouraging for his future. What played out on the court with the Mavs is the same thing people worried about upon his arrival: Rondo needs to dominate the ball to run an offense, and when he doesn't have the ball, defenses don't respect him as a shooting threat.</p>
<p>NBA offense has evolved rapidly over the last three years. Just look at the 2011-12 Boston Celtics, which made it to the Eastern Conference Finals (stats via NBA.com/Stats):</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">That year — that last year of the Garnett-Pierce-Allen era — the Celtics played at the 22nd slowest pace in the NBA, averaging 92.6 possessions per game. In 2014-15, that would be dead-last in the NBA.&nbsp;</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In 2011-12, 12 teams averaged over 20 three-pointers per game, with the Orlando Magic leading the league in attempts per game with 27. In 2014-15, 19 NBA teams took over 20 three-pointers per game, four of them averaging over 27 per game.</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In 2011-12, 22 teams averaged 24 or more shot attempts from midrange. In 2014-15, nine teams averaged 24 or more shot attempts from midrange.</span></li>
</ul>
<p>In the span of three years, the NBA has realized that fast-paced offense with an abundance of three-pointers and shots at the rim is the most efficient way to score, while teams have begun to ignore less efficient midrange shots.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Enter Rondo. In 2011-12 he was an All-Star, averaging 12 points on 45% shooting, 24% from three, and 5 rebounds and 12 assists per game. He thrived for a Celtics team that played at the 22nd slowest pace, were third in the NBA in midrange attempts per game, and 24th in three-point attempts per game. For a championship contender, they pushed hard against emerging norms in offense, perhaps because they were elite defensively.</p>
<p>The Celtics also possessed three future Hall of Fame players in Pierce, Garnett, and Allen, all of whom were past their primes and willing to sacrifice on offense for the betterment of the team, thus handing Rondo the keys to the offense. And Rondo excelled, but it was in such a unique situation that it seems impossible to replicate in 2015.</p>
<p>Finding the 2014-15 equivalent of the 2011-12 Celtics is tough to do. Team that rank in the bottom third of the league in pace, bottom third in three-pointers attempted, and top third in midrange jumpers attempted simply don't have much success. Some teams that come close to those qualities: the Knicks, Lakers, Timberwolves, Bucks, Wizards, and Hornets, only one of whom finished above .500 this season. And none of them had three future Hall of Famers on their rosters.</p>
<p>So where does Rondo, a free agent for the first time on July 1, fit in the NBA?</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/553ab1a86bb3f71d47439059-1199-599/rajon-rondo-bench-4.jpg" border="0" alt="rajon rondo bench"></p>
<p>Ball-dominant point guards aren't uncommon in the NBA, but Rondo's type of ball dominance just doesn't seem to fit.</p>
<p>Using the NBA's player-tracking data, we can see how often players touch the ball. In 2014-15, Rondo ranked 15th in touches per game. Yet, among the 14 other players , Rondo was was lowest in points per touch, scoring only .08 points per touch. In comparison, the leader of that top 15 was Russell Westbrook with .309 points per touch — more than triple Rondo's output.</p>
<p>So what was Rondo doing with the ball? He didn't average an exceptional number of drives per game — he was 28th in the NBA. He only averaged 3.2 points per game on drives.</p>
<p>While he was first in the NBA in passes per game, he was eighth in the NBA in assists per game. Rondo was seventh in points created by assists with 18.7 points per game on the season, but this was also a function of him dominating the ball. Though he can set up good shots for teammates, he doesn't necessarily promote good ball movement. The NBA tracks secondary assists — assists given to a teammate after they received a pass from a player — and Rondo was only 45th, meaning he didn't set teammates up to make good passes.</p>
<p>And if Rondo doesn't have the ball? He's a non-threat on offense. Here was his shot chart for the year:</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/553aab1beab8ea4215439041-468-446/shotchart_1429908211476.png" border="0" alt="Rondo shotchart"></p>
<p>According to NBA.com/Stats, Rondo shot just 34.6% on catch-and-shoot opportunities, but he shot a respectable 35.9% on three-pointers. The problem is, Rondo prefers to dominate the ball, and he only averaged 1.5 catch-and-shoot opportunities per game and 0.8 catch-and-shoot three-pointers per game. Where there's the potential for Rondo to leverage a weakness into a skill, he hasn't adapted.</p>
<p>So as Rondo enters a fairly strong free agent class, where does he fit? It's not a matter of&nbsp;<em>if</em> a team will sign him — somebody will — but it's who. What team can use a ball-dominant point guard who can't shoot? Theoretically, a team would need three very good shooters to surround Rondo to make up for his lack of spacing, but they'd also need players who don't dominate the ball, either.</p>
<p>The Celtics provided this with Pierce, Allen, and Garnett, who were happy to catch and shoot, but again, that team didn't have a great offense — they had a great defense. The Mavericks provided the spacing around Rondo, but he and Monta Ellis, who also commands the ball, didn't fit well next to each other.</p>
<p>Rondo is as unique a player as the NBA has ever seen, and he's undoubtedly gifted in several areas. Unfortunately, the times he's proven most successful with were in a system that is now outdated.</p>
<p>A team will still take a chance on Rondo, but the days of thinking he's a max player are over. In another era, Rondo could skate by without being an elite shooter and dominate the ball while teammates waited patiently.</p>
<p>But in an NBA where teams emphasize ball movement, three-pointers, and space, Rondo doesn't seem to fit. Unfortunately for Rondo, after the breakup of the Big Three Celtics, the NBA passed him by.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/rajon-rondo-free-agency-2015-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-floyd-mayweather-spends-his-money-boxing-2015-4">Here's how Floyd Mayweather spends his millions</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/rajon-rondo-back-injury-out-indefinitely-in-playoffs-2015-4Rajon Rondo may have played his last game with the Dallas Maverickshttp://www.businessinsider.com/rajon-rondo-back-injury-out-indefinitely-in-playoffs-2015-4
Wed, 22 Apr 2015 18:19:00 -0400Scott Davis
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/553806646bb3f72e328fddb1-1194-896/rajon-rondo-mavs-3.jpg" border="0" alt="rajon rondo mavs"></p><p></p>
<p>It might be over for Rajon Rondo in Dallas.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/590967630552379392">According to ESPN's Marc Stein</a>, the Dallas Mavericks are ruling Rondo out indefinitely with a back injury that he sustained in Game 2 of their first-round series with the Houston Rockets.</p>
<p>Rondo only played 10 minutes in Game 2 and only 34 seconds in the second half before he was benched for the Mavs' backup point guards. Was this because Rondo got injured or because Rondo has been ineffective thus far in the playoffs?</p>
<p>The Mavericks also announced that point guard Devin Harris is probable to play in Game 3, <a href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/590976692996280320">according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon</a>. Harris missed the first two games with a toe injury, but when healthy, he's been the Mavs' best point guard this season, despite being lower on the depth chart than Rondo. This further raises suspicion about Rondo's back injury.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Mavs coach Rick Carlisle also didn't sing Rondo's praises Wednesday afternoon. When asked if he thinks Rondo will be back with the Mavs, Carlisle answered bluntly:</span></p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
Do you expect Rajon Rondo to ever wear a Mavericks uniform again? "No, I don't," Rick Carlisle said. </p>— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/590993779538034688">April 22, 2015</a>
</blockquote>
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<p>In the 37 minutes Rondo has been on the court, the Mavericks have been outscored by 36 points. Additionally, with Rondo on the court, the Mavericks are being outscored by 34 points per 100 possessions. When he's off the court, they're actually outscoring the Rockets by nearly 11 points per 100 possessions.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dallas-mavericks-rajon-rondo-trade-disaster-2015-4">Rondo trade has become a disaster for Dallas</a>. As <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/josh-smith-s-partnership-with-dwight-howard-flourishing-as-rajon-rondo-unravels-with-mavs-082337854.html">Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reported</a>, Rondo and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle don't have a great relationship, and insiders believe Rondo is as good as gone from Dallas this summer when he hits free agency.</p>
<p>The interesting subplot, now, is whether the Mavericks can give the Rockets a good fight the rest of the series. Though 36 minutes is a small sample size, if the numbers are to be believed, the Mavericks are actually the better team when Rondo's been sitting.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/rajon-rondo-back-injury-out-indefinitely-in-playoffs-2015-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/led-surfboards-wetsuits-professional-night-surfing-morocco-munian-sahyoun-2015-3">Stunning video shows people surfing at night with LED surfboards and wetsuits</a></p>